tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post3778103321767294511..comments2023-12-22T20:57:22.357-08:00Comments on Female Computer Scientist: Impostor Syndrome for MenFemale Computer Scientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16445505185253882833noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post-32387559086074866692011-05-16T12:23:20.561-07:002011-05-16T12:23:20.561-07:00Self-deprecation isn't really a good example o...Self-deprecation isn't really a good example of impostor syndrome. It's a defense mechanism well known to social psychologists. Self-handicapping, it's called. It's similar to claiming you drank too much the night before the GRE's. A great strategy for maintaining your social standing, even in the event of failure.<br /><br />Interestingly, men were shown to do this more than women.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post-338446313364068012010-11-11T13:08:14.834-08:002010-11-11T13:08:14.834-08:00Thanks for the comments, all.
@Brer, definitely,...Thanks for the comments, all. <br /><br />@Brer, definitely, I think it's good to take a step back from time to time. I also think it's good to try to not be self-deprecating. This researcher really kept being down on his work, which seemed really strange to me. It was far outside my field, so who knows, maybe it was unremarkable. Or maybe this is one of those cases of a top-dog stepping themselves down a bit in order to be accessible to the masses. <br /><br />@Kea, I definitely think so for Sam. His letter writers are the academic equivalents of Bill Gates, Sergey Brin, and Steve Jobs. <br /><br />@Jean, thanks for the reference! I will definitely check that paper out when life returns to something more normal. (Swimming in deadlines at the moment). <br /><br />@fubarator, heh. Also, I love your handle.<br /><br />@Bashir, I've come across both beliefs as well. They're both unfortunate views to have, but the second one is probably the most difficult to overcome. Believing the system is rigged against you makes you less likely to do the things you need to do to get in to the club - publish, postdoc/work somewhere good, network, etc. That being said, I do think some people really do end up getting the short end of the stick sometimes (e.g., some underrepresented groups), which is why I really hope some of the recent NSF initiatives can make some headway.Female Computer Scientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445505185253882833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post-56062069669675264772010-11-11T11:00:12.922-08:002010-11-11T11:00:12.922-08:00There are two related but different beliefs that I...There are two related but different beliefs that I have come across. First is a belief that you aren't good enough, and are faking it. That's the Impostor Syndrome. The second is that that you are good enough but not matter how good you are the system is in some way rigged. Getting those top jobs isn't as simple as being a good researcher. It involves knowing the right people, having the right schools on your CV, etc.Bashirhttp://jbashir.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post-69822179182978198062010-11-11T09:44:05.423-08:002010-11-11T09:44:05.423-08:00Reading about all these smart and accomplished peo...Reading about all these smart and accomplished people suffering from impostor syndrome has made me doubt I've got a true case of it. I am just going to have to fake it from now on.fubaratornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post-64166557840354055522010-11-11T07:41:54.734-08:002010-11-11T07:41:54.734-08:00Regarding impostor syndrome in males, see "Se...Regarding impostor syndrome in males, see "Self Doubt Plagues Female Astronomers" (Nature 463, 574, 27 January 2010).<br /><br />Basically (despite what the title implies), a group of both male and female astronomy graduate students were asked to indicate to what degree they agreed or disagreed with the statement "Sometimes I am afraid others will discover how much knowledge or ability I lack." For both male and female respondents, the most popular answer was 'agree' (where the choices were strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree). <br /><br />If I were to guess what the response of males would be, before having seen this data, I would have thought that the majority of them would have leaned toward neutral/disagree/strongly disagree. So, the study really opened my eyes on two levels, first by showing me in a nice bar graph that I'm not the only one who feels this way, and, arguably more importantly, that the feelings aren't restricted to females.Jean Greynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post-31413303332667191732010-11-10T12:48:47.853-08:002010-11-10T12:48:47.853-08:00Are you sure it's imposter syndrome in Sam'...Are you sure it's imposter syndrome in Sam's case? Because, in my field at least, something really is terribly, terribly wrong in the field. He would be wasting his time applying for jobs, if he didn't know the right people, if he had career gaps in his CV, or a million other 'problems'.Keahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05652514294703722285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989787998613496061.post-38781328530747043552010-11-10T09:00:13.109-08:002010-11-10T09:00:13.109-08:00In your last example, I wonder how much this has t...In your last example, I wonder how much this has to do with feeling of inadequacy, and how much with being down in the trenches day after day? I know that I get jaded about what I'm doing because I do it every day. To me it does seem simple and unremarkable. Every once in a while I force myself to step back and realize how good it actually is.BrerScientistnoreply@blogger.com